Themes


 * Themes**

Seven primary themes related to adolescent development emerge in the film:

**//Depression//** Snowman et al. describe the condition of depression as including “feelings of sadness or unhappiness,” and “moodiness [and] social isolation” (Snowman, McCown, & Biehler, 2012, p. 101). Sabornie and deBettencourt also claim that people suffering from depression have “decreased energy” and “poor concentration” (Sabornie & deBettencourt, 2009, p. 36). Moreover, many teenagers in America are depressed—more than 15% of youths are classified as clinically depressed (Sabornie & deBettencourt, 2009, p. 36). Numerous characters in the film //Napoleon Dynamite// could certainly be described as having depression. Napoleon appears to be depressed throughout the film; he often doodles in class, seemingly unable to concentration, and he almost always appears unhappy and full of complaints. Furthermore, the general narrative and action of the film could might be considered depressing. The characters all speak using monotone voices and rarely display excitement or behave energetically. Even the scenery, setting, and story line suggest alienation and monototony, which, in turn, suggest depression.

**//Self-Consciousness//** Adolescent egocentrism, the state of mind in which “adolescents [are] preoccupied with…how they appear to others,” is common in many teenagers and some of the characters in the film certainly demonstrate this (Snowman et al., 2012, p. 43). Adolescent egocentrism, moreover, leads many adolescents to “act as if they are always on stage and to be extremely concerned about the reactions of peers” and makes them very self-conscious (Snowman et al., 2012, p. 48). In the film, most of the characters are portrayed as self-conscious and worried about peer reaction. In particular, Napoleon’s love interest, Deb, appears to be an especially self-conscious adolescent. Despite her entrepreneurial activities, she rarely displays self-confidence. For instance, Deb is mortified and nervous when she tries to sell Napoleon some boondoggles and a session of glamour shots. In fact, she gets so nervous that she runs away, leaving the tools of her trade on Napoleon’s doorstep.

**//Identity Confusion//** Like many teenagers, characters in //Napoleon Dynamite// often display confusion about who they are and where they belong. Napoleon often daydreams and doodles in class; moreover, he likes to create elaborate stories and myths that he has made up about himself, in order to create a more satisfying sense of identity. On the other hand, Deb exhibits traits that Snowman, et al., suggest are characteristic of a higher level of self-identity: logical decision-making and a focus on planning for the future (Snowman et al., 2012, p. 33). Deb spends most of the film trying to make money for her college education, as she is clearly planning for her future. The contrast between Deb and Napoleon’s sense of self reflects the two patterns most commonly displayed by high school students. While some students plan and prepare for the future after high school, others are perfectly content to remain in a state of indecision.

**//Bullying//** Every year, according to US Department of Education statistics, approximately 3.2million students are bullied in school (Sabornie & deBettencourt, 2009, p. 39). “The most common form of bullying is verbal abuse” (Sabornie & deBettencourt, 2009, p. 39), which occurs throughout this film. Fred (a minor character whose only function in the movie is to be bullied) and Napoleon are harassed relentlessly by Randy, a large, aggressive bully. Before Pedro’s low-rider cousins intervene, Randy attempts to use violence to commandeer Fred’s bicycle. And when Napoleon, who has smuggled some “tots” (a potato side-dish ) out of the cafeteria, doesn’t give them to Randy, the bully kicks them into a mushy pulp in Napoleon’s cargo-pants pocket, where our hero has squirreled them away. Randy is an apt caricature of the violent and aggressive bully described by Sabornie, et al.(Sabornie & deBettencourt, 2009, p. 39).

**//Immaturity//** Throughout the film, most of the characters display concrete thinking, as opposed to analytical, higher-level thinking. The characters generally think and act in self-interested, immature, and unsophisticated manners, and appear to engage only in simple thought processes. For instance, when the students vote for class president, political or philosophical issues are not discussed at all. Instead, the election focuses exclusively on material concerns, such as the acquisition of a soda machine for the cafeteria and a Chap Stick dispenser for the bathroom. Moreover, students choose Pedro for president not because of his ideals, beliefs, and vision but because of Napoleon’s dancing skills. The film, therefore, generates an impression of the American high school student as a self-interested person incapable of higher-order thought.

**//Peer Relationships and Social Pressure//** High school is a difficult time for most young people and adolescents generally struggle to cope with a wide variety of social pressures. Not only is pressure applied by parents, who want their children to conform to high academic and social standards, but students also face peer pressure that tends to push them in an opposite direction. In particular, “when adolescents look for models and advice on such social matters as dress, hairstyle, speech patterns, friendships, and leisure activities, the peer group is likely to have the greatest influence” (Snowman et al., 2012, p. 100). As a result, there is so much pressure to fit in, that students who are unable to do so are often alienated. Before Napoleon meets Deb and Pedro, there is no evidence that he as any other friends. Although he eventually manages to develop friendships, Napoleon appears to remain an outsider. (The film ends with Napoleon playing the rather lonely game of tetherball, albeit with a new girlfriend.) His attitude and his poor social skills establish Napoleon as a socially awkward and inept person; and, in this respect, since social awkwardness is widely associated with adolescence, he may be considered a realistic character.

**//Ethnocentrism//** The film portrays a rural American community in which minorities are somewhat marginalized. The principal of the high school attempts to humiliate Pedro with respect to his status as an immigrant with low-English proficiency. In one instance, Summer Wheatley makes fun of the Mexican-American diet, which she characterizes as consisting of nothing but “chimney-chain-guhs.” Latin youths are portrayed as gang-banging low-riders, who wreak vengeance on the white-American community. The film generally depicts an atmosphere of “ethnocentrism,” which Snowman, et al., define as “the tendency of people to think of their own culture as superior” (p.147).